Opinions about how tall my son will be...

[dntccc]

OK. I know this question will be impossible to give a for sure answer. I am really just looking for opinions, especially from those with first-hand knowledge. We are going to WDW 11/25-11/30/07 (about 8 months from now). Our son will turn 4 years old in September. Currently he is about 38 3/4" tall with shoes on. How likely is it that he will grow another 1 1/4" before/by the time we go on our trip? I realize that children probably grow at different rates, I just thought I would pose the question in case anyone else has ever monitored one of their children's growth before a trip hoping the child would grow to a certain height by then.

[lyle21]

40 inches at 4 years of age is the average. i can't tell you anything for sure, but he might. mine will turn 4 in july and he just reached 40 inches.

i don't know what to tell you, but feed him good food and let him sleep as much as he wants.:blush:

[TheRustyScupper]

1) I am sure he will be tall enough.
2) Just to make sure, DAILY feed him
. . . spinach
. . . oat meal
. . . fresh broccoli
. . . and a touch of castor oil
3) That should do it.

[caryrae]

I saw a chart showing an the avg height of your son now, about 3 1/2 years old is 39" and the avg for a 4 year old is just over 40". So he should be close. Here is the website I looked at.
http://www.kidsgrowth.com/resources/articledetail.cfm?id=304

After age 2, most children gain about 5 lbs. (2.3 kg) per year and grow at a steady rate of 2 to 2.5 inches (5-6 cm) per year.

[mudpuppysmom]

My son always has been on the tall side, so with that said: Last year in Sept (he turned 4 in Feb) he was already 44". This year, he continues to HOPE he can ride Primeval (W)hirl and I'm hoping that he can't yet (the :ack: factor for me). Now he has been eating like a feign lately and asks me to measure him almost every week......I will honor his request to measure one time per month......right now he is sitting at 46" and that is without shoes......we leave in less than a month, so I think I'm safe for one more trip from PW!!! My luck though, he will get his growth spurt in the next two weeks!!! (When he starts to look a bit "pudgie" to me that usually indicates growth is imminent and we're there now......:shake: DH laughs at me when I call DS pudgie......he is ANYTHING BUT pudgie.....he's a bean pole!)

To the OP -- there is a really good chance he'll make it by your trip!!!:party:

[AmberB]

I think your son has an excellent chance of reaching 40" by your trip. Our son is 3 1/2 years old. We began planning our trip in January and he was 38" without shoes. We were thrilled when we went to the doctor's office a few weeks ago and found out he was 40 1/2" with his shoes on. Splash Mountain here we come!!!!:coaster:

[hootch]

our daughter sandals with a good size heel to ensure she will make the 40" mark this summer. She'll probably make it but why take chances. She really liked the Barnstormer last year and we want to try the upgrade to more adventurous rides.

[GrmGrninGost]

1) I am sure he will be tall enough.
2) Just to make sure, DAILY feed him
. . . spinach
. . . oat meal
. . . fresh broccoli
. . . and a touch of castor oil
3) That should do it.

Man, I'm glad you're not my Dad!!(or Mom)

[allie_to_you]

He'll probably be okay. Start now though teaching him to stand up real tall and straight, so that in case he comes just a smidge under the height limit, he might get by if he stands real tall ;)

[Bear Lee]

I just measured my 4 YO son and he has grown 1 1/2" since our last trip to Disney. (8 months ago)

I think your son will be tall enough when you're ready to go. :thumbsup:

[GINNY69]

I know how it feels to worry if your child is going to make the height requirement. My son who is now 4+1/2 is just at the 40 inch mark with shoes on he is over that. Last year in May of 2006 he was just over the 36 inch mark and he could not go on the better attractions, but there year he can enjoy Splash Mountain, big thunder, test track and sourin. He is so pumped up that he always wants us to measure him.. Like someone posted above have your child practice standing up tall. Every child grows at the own rate.. I think your child should be 40 inches by the time you go.. Good luck and have fun

[kathiep]

I'm hoping you'll be pleasantly surprised by how fast kids can seem to grow.

Last fall when we were there, my son was just over 3 and missed out on Splash Mountain and Big Thunder. I think when we measured him them, he was @ 37 inches.

As soon as we got home, we were planning this fall's trip so of course, he wanted to know if he would be able to go on these rides this time around.

I thrilled to say, he's almost there. We counting on getting on those rides!

[CM~Mserrano]

As a former CM at Mission:Space, I know how much kids want to go on the height restriced rides, but I also know the dangers of letting children on that are not tall enough. At M:S, anyone under the height requirement could face suffocation from the restraint if the ride had to E-stop and the vehicle was tilted at a certain position. So, I would suggest standing up straight, head back, kind of like at a salute, but not wearing shoes that make you taller. Those height requirements are definately there for a reason, not to hinder the enjoyment of the whole family. Plus, most rides that do have a height requirement do have a childrens area either in the same building or very close nearby for something for them to do. Also, (at M:S at least) we could hand out cards that would allow front of the line or fast pass access to children that weren't quite there this year, but could be used on their next trip. I usually gave these kids and their families a special tour of "Mission Control" and then got them right on the ride.

Former CM at Mission:Space
~Meredith

[lilmattie13]

I am interested in hearing what people think about my question as I too have a 4 year old who is 40".

We will be going in Sept and one of my concerns is that he will definitely want to go on Thunder mountain as he loves everything TRAIN.

While I know he will hit the height req, I am concerned about the magnitude of the ride. I have been on it and I love it, however it really jostles you around, and for my son, who is rather thin and lanky, I am a little concerned about this.

Does anyone else share my concern or am I being too overprotective?:confused:

It worries me that the little brain that is still developing could get hurt.

I'd be interested in everyone else's view...

Thanks:mickey:

[caryrae]

Just curious how much your son has grown in the 2 months since you started this thread?

[crazeedizneefinatic]

I
Does anyone else share my concern or am I being too overprotective?:confused:

It worries me that the little brain that is still developing could get hurt.

I'd be interested in everyone else's view...

Thanks:mickey:

I am so amazed at threads like this! I don't think you are being over protective, just cautious. I can see kids being disappointed with not being able to ride certain things but hearing parents wishing their children would grow before a certain date. I cherished and miss when my son was too small to enjoy certain things. I still will not allow him to ride rides that he does meet the height requirement (not by much, and he is 6, lol). I guess it depends on each individual child but I cannot imagine my little one sitting all alone in a seat and being tossed around and potentially being very frightened. I don't consider myself overprotective, I do believe kids need to experience life but to hear people talk about children 4-5 years old riding these intense rides, it scares me. I have witnessed so many children becoming so upset on rides, I even remember one little one throwing up because they were so frightened and upset! This is just my opinion, each child is different.

[psychotekkie]

We go to Disney in 2 months and my son is still 1/4 inch short. He might just make it. But if he does we will not put him on everything with a 40 inch requirement. Definitely not Tower of Terror or anything that will put him off rides. Hey, we may still keep him off of Snow White just because of the witch!

40 inches or not, he is still my 3-yr-old angel. When I was pregnant, I stayed off all the height restricted rides and still had a blast, so if he does the same, I'm sure he will still have the time of his life. (Plus he doesn't know what he's missing).

Still, we are going to train him on how to stand up straight. Particularly under a measuring stick, because kids tend to duck/hunch down when their head is going to hit something. Teach them to try to touch the stick with their head (without using tippy toes).